Ramona Lipka has a masters degree in Elementary Education from Queens College and taught full day Pre-kindergarten for 26 years in a public school on Long Island.
Ramona served both her school and district as a leader at the elementary school level. In 2012, Ramona became a Thinking Maps Trainer when Thinking Maps® was introduced in her school district. As a leader in the school, Ramona worked as part of the PK and 5 teacher leadership team working to support the implementation of school initiatives. In her role as District wide Pre-K lead teacher she facilitated professional development for Universal Pre-Kindergarten teachers in the Community Based Centers as well as in the three district elementary schools.
At the state level, Ramona worked with a team of educators in Albany to develop the Common Core State Standards for Pre-kindergarten including the Guiding Principles which link the standards to developmentally appropriate strategies for teaching young children. Ramona's areas of expertise include: collaborative planning, Early Childhood Education, standards-based instruction, developmentally appropriate practice, curriculum development and Thinking Maps®.
Advocating for a balance of rigor and developmentally appropriate activities in the early grades is Ramona's primary goal. Supporting teachers to create a learning environment that supports the development and academic success of each child is the focus of sharing her knowledge and experience as an early childhood teacher.